Licence plates and slogans, past and present

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by Pinus

I'm pretty sure the proper spelling for the noun "licenCe" in Canada is with a "c", not a "s". We use the British spelling for this word in Canada, not the American.

Here we go.....

We were debating this topic recently on one of the other threads, lot's of opinions. Both spellings are acceptable - we are neither British or American.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by lubicon

Here we go.....

We were debating this topic recently on one of the other threads, lot's of opinions. Both spellings are acceptable - we are neither British or American.

The proper and formal spelling in Canada is "licence" for the noun. Just like the proper and formal spelling for defence and offence is with a "c", not a "s", and colour and clamour are with a "u", not without. Anyone who says otherwise is just wrong. Full stop.

We are Canadian and we have proper and formal ways of spelling certain words.

[vid]

Most of us are using web browsers with autocorrect that is based on American dictionaries, even if we've selected Canadian settings, so there might be confusing.

If we can understand each other, that's good enough. We're not writing dissertations here, we're shitposting about license plates.

[acottawa]

I’m sorry, I am normally anti-meme

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by vid

Most of us are using web browsers with autocorrect that is based on American dictionaries, even if we've selected Canadian settings, so there might be confusing.

If we can understand each other, that's good enough. We're not writing dissertations here, we're shitposting about license plates.

Just because you and others choose to be lazy and not check your posts is quite telling in itself.

[CityTech]

You knew what I was trying to say, so who cares? The point of language is to communicate and we did so successfully. Nothing else matters.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Just because you and others choose to be lazy and not check your posts is quite telling in itself.

Due to where I live and the work that I do, I have devices that I often post from that have a French auto-correct function on them. (And that's a pain in the ass to turn off and on.)

Sometimes I miss some but basically what I do is I always quickly
review my posts to change where the auto-correct has turned the English words I typed into French ones...

There are bigger crosses to bear.

[Blader]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Just because you and others choose to be lazy and not check your posts is quite telling in itself.

Spelling aside:
Let's parse your sentence
Academically:
`Just`, `quite`, and `in itself` are unnecessary embellishments.

Because you and others choose to be lazy, and not check your posts, is telling.
I'm with vid. It's conversational. It's not about spelling and it's not about style. It's about communication.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Pius

Just because you and others choose to be lazy and not check your posts is quite telling in itself.

I actually do proof read my posts before hitting submit and after submitting, and edit if necessary.

I don't see the licence/license distinction as being something so critical that I need to go back and correct it. If you're going to see the word "license plate" and become confused by it, that's on you.

I've added licence to my browser's spell check feature, so I hope it doesn't happen again. I underctand it getc your pantiec in a bunsh when you cee people mix up the letterc c and s.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Just because you and others choose to be lazy and not check your posts is quite telling in itself.

You spelled "Penis" wrong.

[Acajack]

In a professional setting, I fully admit to taking people less seriously if they make more than a tiny number of mistakes.

Though Canadian spelling is a bit of a hopeless case, sadly.

[esquire]

The idea of clinging to something as trivial as the distinction of 'colour' vs. 'color' as an important facet of national identity verges on the downright pathetic imo. Might as well just turn out the lights and join the USA if that's what it's come to.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by esquire

The idea of clinging to something as trivial as the distinction of 'colour' vs. 'color' as an important facet of national identity verges on the downright pathetic imo. Might as well just turn out the lights and join the USA if that's what it's come to.

I find more interesting the conscious decision not to adhere to spelling norms.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I find more interesting the conscious decision not to adhere to spelling norms.

Who is making a conscious decision about it, though? I doubt the people Pinus routinely corrects are giving their spelling of license vs. licence a second thought.

[Acajack]

I actually find it to be a peculiarly Canadian trait to be dismissive of things like these because they allegedly don't matter and are insignificant.

If you travel a bit you find all sorts of things (which are trivial at first glance) that peoples care about a lot because they make them who they are (in their minds anyway). It can be anything from having wooden road signs, to quirks of the alphabet they use in their language to what time you eat dinner.

When I've asked about them, often the simple answer has been "that's just the way we are".

And while I have never made light of these things, I've witnessed people doing so and often their interlocutors have gotten offended. (Over things that are, yes... trivial. At least in our minds. But not to them.)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

Who is making a conscious decision about it, though? I doubt the people Pinus routinely corrects are giving their spelling of license vs. licence a second thought.

I think you're right that most aren't making a conscious decision to write like Americans. It just happens through osmosis and acculturation.

That said, the defiance and hostility when this is pointed out to them *is* a conscious decision, and in my view, typically Canadian as well.

I suspect that in a lot of places if you deviated from national norms and someone pointed it out, the common reaction would be "Oh yeah, right. Silly me", or at least some type of explanation that would be mildly self-deprecating.

I am not saying that that's good or bad BTW.

I often say that Canada (especially Anglo-Canada) is one of the "free-est" places in the world when it comes to such things.

This is probably a good example of that.

[esquire]

I could see being protective of those types of norms when they're actually yours. But the norms Pinus is defending are largely British. They didn't originate here, and national identity doesn't hinge on it in any way that I can see. Besides, what makes British spelling norms inherently superior to American ones? I mean, you want to protect a Canadian language, go learn Cree.

I don't see the big deal here. It's just so trivial.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

I could see being protective of those types of norms when they're actually yours. But the norms Pinus is defending are largely British. They didn't originate here, and national identity doesn't hinge on it in any way that I can see. Besides, what makes British spelling norms inherently superior to American ones? I mean, you want to protect a Canadian language, go learn Cree.

I don't see the big deal here. It's just so trivial.

Canada (especially Anglo-Canada) is never going to have a linguistic uniqueness like Armenia which has its own alphabet that is only used for its language.

But Canadian spelling and English are real, tangible things. They are the result of the intermingling of British and American influences, along with some French and Indigenous influences too. That mix is actually what makes (Anglo-Canada) what it is.

100% American isn't any more (Anglo-)Canadian than 100% British is.

Australian vocabulary and spelling are also a mix of influences, though they lean more heavily on the British side. No one down there argues that it's pointless and artificial.

[esquire]

^ I'm not saying there isn't any value in the way we do things, but there is a tendency to evolve. And as we are unquestionably more closely tied to the US these days, it's natural to evolve in the direction of US customs in this regard. What purpose does it serve to cling to habits dating back to the days when we were more closely tied to the UK?

That being said, even though I admit there's value there, it's still tedious to have some self-appointed schoolmarm chastising people over and over for trivial transgressions. If anything will get me using Americanisms out of sheer spite, it's that approach.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Canada (especially Anglo-Canada) is never going to have a linguistic uniqueness like Armenia which has its own alphabet that is only used for its language.

But Canadian spelling and English are real, tangible things. They are the result of the intermingling of British and American influences, along with some French and Indigenous influences too. That mix is actually what makes (Anglo-Canada) what it is.

100% American isn't any more (Anglo-)Canadian than 100% British is.

Australian vocabulary and spelling are also a mix of influences, though they lean more heavily on the British side. No one down there argues that it's pointless and artificial.

I was going to post much the same thing.

One word that has never settled in Canadian English is "gray/grey". I suspect that "gray" may be more common, but nobody would consider "grey" to be incorrect. It may be similar in other English speaking countries, I don't know.